The Letter "S"

This week I went to Scotland, Stonehenge and Salisbury...  of course, it is September

Scotland

First, I was in St. Andrews on business. It was what I perceive to be typical Scottish weather, cool, a "wee bit of a wind" and some rain...but also some sun so on a few occasions we were treated to rainbows. Of course I had a chance to experience all the delights (for one day) of The Old Course Hotel. It is a spectacular location and my room overlooked the 17th fairway. While it is late September, there were still golfers playing, on both days.

My room view

This shot was taken the day I arrived. The next day it was a very different weather, and yet there were still golfers playing. We had a meeting most of the day in a room on the ground floor, and all day, despite the rain and high winds, we could see foursome after foursome, heads down into the wind, umbrellas pushing forward fighting the rain.  I know now why the golf stores here sell so much rain gear!

On the day I arrived, we went for a walk about the town, and on the way back, about 7:30 it was getting quite dark. We were surprised to see golfers teeing off the 18th, in what was not the most optimal light. We thought that was extreme until we ran into two more foursomes coming behind them!

The beach in St. Andrews

 
On Sunday I went to Stonehenge and Salisbury with a couple of people from the finance department in Kohler. It was nice to have company, and navigators.
 

I was expecting Stonehenge to be bigger. The setting is spectacular, set on a rise in a large plain (the Salisbury Plain). They have understated all the necessary trappings for such a significant tourist site, and when you are actually at the site, you cannot see the car-park, the entrance buildings nor the ubiquitous gift shop. It is a great view in all directions.  They provide (free !) an audio player that explains what you are looking at, but they do admit that even to this day they really do not know why it was built. Of course we know that it can act as a calender, the sun plays in the stones differently in every month, the first rays of sun coming exactly on the center stone on the solstice and all that.... but why ?
 

Salisbury Cathedral

When I told Susie I was going to Stonehenge, she insisted we go to Salisbury. It was a good suggestion. Besides being a very pretty town where we had a nice pub lunch, the Cathedral is very impressive. In addition to being a significant building, having the tallest spire in Britain (404 feet), they have one of only 4 known copies of the Magna Carta, dating back to 1215.  Edward Heath, former PM is buried there.

One of the interesting things about this church was it continues to update its artwork and fixtures. Genya and I have toured a number of churches in Italy, France and England, and normally they are museums of the past, full of old paintings and memorial plaques of dead soldiers from ancient battles. Salisbury seems intent on allowing new ideas and new artists to contribute.  They continue to put up memorials of recent war dead. It feels like a living active church. One of the features that fascinated me was a new font installed in 2008. It is build in such a way that it acts as a reflecting pool. Of course this required me to try my hand a creative photography...

I call the one below "reflections of windows"

View from the nave up to the alter. Notice the newer hanging art, on the right side.

Cloisters


I hope you enjoyed the letter S.

NFL

Today is the first Sunday of the 2010 National Football League season.   I used to pride myself on my "take it or leave it " view of this sport. In fall I would prefer to go golfing than sit in on a nice day and watch football.  Even in winter I would cook, go shopping. Live a balanced life.  (Play-offs not included)

I was a reasonable fan.  Last year while in Paris, I discovered a program on the internet called AUDIO PASS. For only $29.99, I could listen to every NFL game, the identical broadcast that is on the radio.  I could get WTMJ radio 620 in Milwaukee, same as if is was in Kohler. Same people....Wayne Larabee, Larry McCarren.  While there was a 7 hour time difference, I did get to follow about 7-8 games during the season. So, I decided to check it out again this season. Living in the UK now, the time difference was less, I could catch the first game and still go to bed in decent time.

• Well...first of all the price went to $39.99. How can something go up 33% in one year ? I'm not going to pay that !
• Then I went to check the Packers schedule. As it turns out, due to my travel , Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football and time I am in the US, I was only going to be able to listen to 5 games, maybe 6 depending... 

So I decided not to join. I reasoned that there is a section of the NFL site that allows me to casually follow the progress of the games. No live broadcast, but pretty immediate.

So, tonight, after dinner, I logged on to NFL.com and began to follow the scores. Well, immediately I see the Texans blowing out the Colts...13 - 0 after a quarter and a half. Was'sup with that ??? 

Then the Lions leading the Bears ...wow, that would be an upset. I wonder what is happening ?

OK, I lasted until just before  half time and then broke down. I am now listening to the Bear/ Lions game. But, it is OK, I can quit anytime...its just that now my heart rate is more regular, there is a warm aura surrounding me, I am at peace with the world. 

Not a problem ....I can turn it off anytime.

NFL  - Need a Fix Listening

Rainy ???...Saturday in Cheltenham

First...obviously I am back in the UK.

I arrived back in on Wednesday morning, arriving in London at 5:25 am.  Took the 7:15 Express Bus from the Heathrow Cental Bus Terminal, arriving in Cheltenham at 9:15 am. Aside from a car a driver, it seems to be the easiest way to get here from Heathrow...and very reasonable. I did have an upgrade on the overseas flight, so could sleep. Despite traveling internationally for almost 5 years, I still need a weekend to adjust. I think the 14 hour flights to Shanghai were easier. Perhaps it was the longer flight, perhaps it was the chance to get about 6-8  hours sleep. I do not do as well on the shorter US/ Europe flight.

I normally play golf on Saturday, but the forecast from the "beeb" was for rain on Saturday, nice on Sunday. So I decided to do chores on Saturday, golf on Sunday. I slept in, despite bright sunshine coming in my window (?)  I finally got up, went for a run (in the sunshine ?), then came back and had breakfast.

I did see some clouds, so figured I should stick to my plan, and I headed out to post some mail, get Euros for my trip to Paris this week and do some shopping.

See first photo below of rainy saturday !

These photos are of High Street in Cheltenham. On a Saturday morning, it is always crowded. Everyone carrying bags going from store to store, On most days the stores close at 5:30 or so, so it is rare for me to do any shopping here as I am normally coming home about 6:00.

Marks & Spencer ..wonderful food floor...

WH Smith - Post Office, lovely books

I finished my shopping (still checking for the rain!!) and came back to the apartment. I boiled some eggs, made lunch, read part of the Saturday Telegraph and checked e-mail. Got a phone call from Susie. By now I was pretty sure it was not going to rain, so I headed out for the highlight of my day...attending a football match between the Cheltenham Robins and Stevenage FC scheduled for 3:00.

In case you have not heard about the Cheltenham Town Football Club...do not despair. Neither had I until I started walking to work here. I pass the football grounds every day. (Mira is a sponsor). English football is a vast organization. There are multiple leagues.. I looked up an alphabetical list of all the football clubs and counted 73...and that was only the teams with names beginning with the letter A !  There must be over a thousand !

Cheltenham is in the Football League, League 2, Level 4. If you measured it by levels below the top (Premier League..think Rooney, Beckham), it should be about the level of  Single A baseball. But, not exactly, as there are many levels below Cheltenham. So, it is probably more like Double A.

The stadium looks to hold about 8,000. Best crowd so far this year was about 5,700 according to the program I bought. It is pretty casual. Once you buy a ticket (BP 19.50 !!) you can pretty much wander around anywhere. They do have boxes, but they looked pretty basic.  I was a little concerned, as this was my first English Football match and memories of  British soccer hoodlums and the 1985 Bradford Stadium fire were in my mind as I went to the game. I need not have worried. It was a very friendly environment. The canteen served only soft drinks and tea, the only people who looked a little scary and missing a few teeth were all over 80.  I enjoyed the afternoon and the experience.

Start of the Game (notice the threatening weather !!)

Goalie Kick

Up close action

I came home after the game and had dinner...watching a lovely sunset over the church steeple I can see from my dining room. The forecast for tomorrow is sun, so my golf game will probably be rained out.